


Cotton Candy

by redstringraven (sirimiri)



Series: Titans [2]
Category: DC Animated Universe, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Ice Cream, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, Stubborn Idiots Refuse to Admit they Love Each Other, more at 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 02:56:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14946299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirimiri/pseuds/redstringraven
Summary: The grimace on his face was visible in both the corners of her eyes and his faint reflection on the windshield. She hadn’t intended for the words to nip at him, precisely, but a small part of her didn’t mind so much that they had. That part of her that was still hurt and… angry and… so fucking pissed and twisted with him. Why had she gotten in this dumb car? She should have just gone back to her room or grabbed ice cream out of their own damn freezer.





	Cotton Candy

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally requested by [greenesweater](https://greenesweater.tumblr.com) but i also decided to use it as a submission for [Teen Titans Fanfic Month](https://teentitansfanfictionmonth.tumblr.com/)! 
> 
> this fic takes place maybe a year after "Titans Together" and is in the same canon as [_Guide to Getting Lost_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12753732), meaning that "Things Change" has been excluded from the narrative. it isn't necessary to read one before or after the other, just know they are connected! thanks for clicking in, and i hope you enjoy!
> 
> p.s. thank to greenesweater for the amazing nickname ajaya uses for roy; god bless her headcanons for our favorite pastel goth.

It would happen every couple of nights. It was stupid, and it’d been well over a year, but it’d still happen. The restlessness would seep into her like venom, burning the veins in her legs, in her arms, tightening her chest. Lying in bed, trying to fight it and go to sleep, was nothing short of torture.

It only came at night. The night was still and quiet and lonely; the perfect hunting grounds to look for a soul that hadn’t quite found its place. Not now. Not before. ... would it ever?

Ajaya growled to herself as she tossed in her sheets, kicking one foot loose, so it poked over the edge of the bed. Monsters be tempted. She could use a good fight. Come test your luck.

It only took a minute or two for her muscles to declare their dissatisfaction with this position so, again, she rolled to her other side. Sorry, monsters. Too slow.

It was stupid. So, _so_ stupid. The more she thought about how stupid it was, the more infuriated she became. The more awake she became. She knew she was in some never-ending loop of insomnia. _Again_.

With a snarl, she kicked her blankets off and swung her legs over the mattress. Her bare feet stomped across the room, and she snatched a pair of shorts and two hair ties off her dresser. She plucked her platform shoes from their place by the closet. Maybe she'd sneak off the island and wander the city.

Once clothed, she exited her room. Her new room. The one with the sliding, metal door, inscribed 'Jinx' in thin, capital letters.

She didn’t take the elevator. Felt too small, too caged in. She took the stairs, skipping every couple steps and bouncing off the third to last one each time. Her feet ached as she left the stairwell and moved into the OPS Room. And, right as she was crossing towards the kitchen, the elevator door slid open.

Vic blinked as he spotted her, his organic eye widening in slight surprise as she froze up. “Ajaya?”

She thought just fast enough to keep her fingers from curling into a fist, a foreign curse hissing through her teeth. The suspicions he might have--whether they were actually there or not--crept into her mind. This team had already been stabbed through the back by one of their own in the past. And now here she was, slinking through the Tower in the dead of night. Funny, that.

“Yeah?” She straightened, frowning and propping her hands on her hips. Might as well play along with any accusations. Or, at least, beat him to the punch. “Do you want to know that I’ve hacked your systems before or _after_ I steal the last bag of poorly hidden chips from the top shelf?”

“They’re up there so Gar won’t find’em,” Vic said, his expression dulling slightly. “Behind the cereal he hates.”

“How's _that_ plan working?”

“... it's not.”

Ajaya snorted, a cool simper curling her lips. “Didn’t think so.”

Vic sighed, scratching at his organic ear as he moved past her towards the kitchen. She squinted after him, head tilting, so one of her pigtails slid off her shoulders. Was that it? He was really just going to ignore her and go about whatever business he had? Um... _no_.

“So." She lifted a brow. "...what’re you in for?”

“Huh?”

Ajaya sighed loudly, the breath riddled with frustration. “WHY are you awake? It’s almost midnight. Even Kori's asleep this week.”

“Oh.” Vic shrugged, glancing back at her as he opened one of the cabinets. “I, uh. Recharged this afternoon. Won’t need another boot up ‘til tomorrow night or so. ...what’re _you_ in for?”

Ajaya shrugged, ducking her head as she strode from the center of the room towards the kitchen counter. “Decided to be nocturnal this week.” A half-truth, maybe. Less she decided and more accepted that was how it was going to be. But whatever. “Fun to mix it up. Keeps the rest of you on your toes.”

She let her smirk widen, slowly and gracefully bending to prop her elbows on the counter and her jaw on her knuckles, popping one heel off the ground. Vic frowned at her. She didn’t let her expression alter as he continued to stare at her, then turned away with a glass in one hand.

“Speakin’ of which. What’s with the joke?”

“The joke?” She raised a brow. Vic nodded.

“Hacking my systems?”

Ajaya snorted, puffing the air through her lips so strands of her hair blew away from her eyes. “It’s… a _joke_. What else is there?”

“Probably not one you should be making,” Vic muttered as he stepped towards the fridge. “Especially around Rach. She’s still gettin’ used to having you in the Tower, whether it's a usual thing or not.”

“And?” Ajaya scoffed, dulling her stare. “She gonna grab me through the ceiling again and toss me into the ocean? Don't think fish-boy would appreciate that.”

Vic didn’t answer. He opened the fridge and retrieved a large jug of orange juice, pouring a glass and returning the pitcher. The fridge door swung shut, and Vic took a slow sip.

Silence drifted over them. Ajaya’s gaze dropped, and she eyed the scattered items on the counter in front of her. The coffee brewer, a large fruit bowl, a couple mason jars filled with… something Kori had been working on. While the contents looked like some confused concoction of neon Jell-O and swamp water, the faint aroma she could smell coming from it was oddly sweet. The closest thing she could compare it to was fresh donuts… and cinnamon. She wrinkled her nose. Somehow, she already knew it probably tasted nothing like either of those things.

Ajaya glanced up as Vic moved in her peripheral vision. There was a darkness in his eye she hadn’t noticed before--and she almost missed it. She frowned, planting her palms on the counter and pushing off of it. “Hey. Where’re you going?”

“I’nno.” Vic paused, glancing over his shoulder and shrugging. He kept his eyes off of her, focusing them on the couch instead. “Just. …--I’nno. Guess I’m gonna go for a drive. Feelin’ a bit cooped up tonight. And it’s nice out.”

Again, he shrugged and began to move towards the elevator. She watched him for another second or so before shoving off the counter and jogging after him. Vic cast her a confused look as she stopped by his side but didn’t question her. He side-stepped as she slid into the elevator, pressing the button to close the doors, then the button for the garage floor.

To say the ride down was awkward would be… a bit of an understatement. Maybe ‘awkward’ wasn’t the exact word. The elevator air felt tense or… not ‘cold’ but. She’ll just say it took everything in her to keep from plucking at her sleeves or grumbling under her breath as she nibbled one of her fingernails. She could tell he was feeling it, too. From the corners of her eyes, she could see slight twitches in his fingers or the way he tried to look like he was checking something on that screen built into his forearm.

This was so stupid. But it was too late to turn back, now.

As soon as the elevator doors slid open, Ajaya stepped forward and out. She kept her chin up and gaze forward, marching the short distance down and across the hall, pushing through the garage doors and beelining for the T-Car. She could hear Vic only a couple steps behind her but, more than a little obvious, keeping some kind of a distance between them.

Good.

She half-lidded her eyes and hooked her fingers around the passenger door’s handle, pulling it open with a brisk tug and dropping into the seat. She folded her arms, crossing one leg at the knee, and set her head back. Vic lowered into the driver’s seat.

Much as she hated to admit it, she was beginning to get why Gar seemed to detest long stretches of silence so damn much.

The platform under the T-Car jolted and began to lower. Ajaya tilted her head towards the window, watching the floor rise past the glass and the mainland tunnel lights click on in rapid succession, illuminating the road ahead. The vehicle roared and launched forward. She slanted her gaze upward, watching as the lights blurred into one thin, bright white line. The engine roared through the tunnel. Just as it seemed like it would be the only thing she was going to hear, Vic spoke up.

“So,” he said. “Anywhere y’wanna go?”

She didn’t skip a beat. “Ice cream.”

From the corner of her eyes, she could see his brow raise. He took his attention off the tunnel for a brief enough moment to look at her, then looked ahead again.

“Thought all the parlors would be closed by now.”

“You thought wrong,” she muttered. She paused, not to give him a chance to chime in but because the end of the tunnel was coming up. The large door slid aside, and the T-Car sped out, its tires whining just slightly as Vic steered and steadied it onto the road. Ajaya looked forward, pointing into the city. “There’s a place a few streets down from the theater. Night shift goes until, like, 1 am.”

“No kiddin’?!” Vic turned his head, blinking at her. A lopsided smile spread over his features as he looked back to the road, and Ajaya snorted, biting the inside of her cheek. That smile definitely did NOT still make her stomach feel lighter. She folded her arms again, leaning back in the seat.

“Surprised you didn’t know, being a local foodie and all.”

Vic shrugged. “Haven’t really been keepin’ up with new places opening ‘round the city. How’d you find it?”

“Decided to go for a midnight stroll a few weeks back. Saw the light was on. Wandered in.” She huffed. “Had to convince the idiot working the counter that I wasn’t there to rob’em or whatever and just wanted to pay like everyone else. **Super** _fun_.”

She let the last two words drip off her tongue like acid.

The grimace on his face was visible in both the corners of her eyes and his faint reflection on the windshield. She hadn’t intended for the words to nip at him, precisely, but a small part of her didn’t mind so much that they had. That part of her that was still hurt and… angry and… so fucking _pissed_ and _twisted_ with him. Why had she gotten in this dumb car? She should have just gone back to her room or grabbed ice cream out of their own damn freezer.

“... m’sorry, Ajaya,” Vic muttered after a short while. “I know it’s gotta be real tough--”

“Do you?” She’d spoken without giving it thought but immediately remembered what the other half of his face looked like. To avoid his gaze, she turned her attention back out the passenger window and scowled.

“... no,” he said. It surprised her, but she forced herself to remain still and bitter. “I mean. Yeah. The first year or so that I looked like this? Those were… rough. Frustrating. I was mad a lot. Got into real pointless fights with my dad, with my grandparents. It _sucked_. And not just for me. ...but, uh. It ain’t the same. So, no. I guess I don’t know. Not really.”

Ajaya huffed through her nose, narrowing her eyes as she lowered her attention to the sidewalks. Most of the stores were dark, their signs dim and their windows black. She counted them as they passed, noting which she’d once… caused problems for. Others which had never been on the radar. Most fell into the latter category. Lucky them.

… pfff.

“You can talk to us ‘bout it, you know,” Vic continued after a few seconds. “We wanna help. If we can, we will.”

She rolled her eyes.

“I know,” she said. “Wally gets to hear most of it. I hate that he always cheers me up when I’m in the middle of a roast session. Why is he like that.”

Thank gods he _was_ like that. Much as she felt relief to let the flames fly, she came away from it much less tired and stressed when West managed to coax a laugh out of her or get her to grab the nearest soft object and toss it at his head in an attempt to silence him. What an idiot. She loved him. Maybe not like _that_ anymore, but… she loved him.

Again, despite that she hadn’t meant for the comment to bite Vic, she saw the slightest deflation in his posture. A fresh sense of guilt pooled in her stomach, but she chased it away. They’d… ‘talked’ about it, sure. But she wasn’t quite ready to let it go. Not yet.

He cleared his throat. “Wally’s a natural. What’s it that Roy mutters sometimes? Something about sunlight incarnate?”

“Hell if I know. Soon as Arsen-hole starts talking, my bullshit filters kick in, and I'm spared most of the noxious spew.”

Vic was smirking. Somehow, she didn’t need to even try glancing at his reflection to know. She could just feel it, and despite her better efforts, she couldn’t help the slow-creeping simper from curling her own lips.

“You really don’t like him,” Vic said. She raised her brows.

“Keep making cosmic observations like that, and Batman’s gonna need a new bragging title.”

“ _Tch_.”

The T-Car rounded one of the streets and Vic steered into a small parking space. Ajaya poked her finger against her seat buckle, wiggling from under the strap and shoving the passenger door open just as the engine shut down. She bounced onto the sidewalk, skipping for couple steps up to the parlor door and swinging through. The little chime of a bell from above her provided a weird sense of satisfaction.

The parlor was empty; no surprise, there. Given that the front was equally vacant, she decided whoever was on shift must be in the back area (the kitchen or whatever parlors called it). She went ahead and slid up to the counter, pressing her palms lightly against the glass as she peered down at the rainbow of flavors and colors.

It took reading off just the first two cards for her stomach to decide that she was, in fact, starving for something sweet. Honey Almond & Cream? Lemon Custard? The seasonal Sorbet? --Speaking of seasonal, they had specific flavors that would only be out this time of year. She inched a bit to the left, stretching her neck to peek. Japanese Cherry Blossom? Rose Petal Cream? Lavender? You gotta be _fucking_ kidding me. How was she expected to choose?

“Why is the world so cruel?” She whined to herself, bouncing slowly on her toes.

The parlor bell chimed again, and within moments she saw Vic’s reflection join hers across the glass. His organic eye looked over the flavors. As usual, she couldn’t quite tell where his cybernetics were focusing.

… could he do that thing chameleons do? That’s creepy.

 _Note to self: ask the goblin later. He'd know_.

“See anything you like?” Vic asked. Ajaya slanted her gaze to meet his reflection’s eyes, one thin brow raising. She looked away again after a few seconds.

“That’s the problem.”

“Yeah, there’re always too many damn flavors.”

“Whoa, language.”

“Says she who cursed out the coffee brewer two days ago.”

“Fuck you, I have a permit.”

He looked at her, delighted. “A _permit_?”

Ajaya smirked up at him, leaning away from the glass. She opened her mouth but quickly snapped it shut, turning her head as the door to the area behind the counter swung open. It was a guy--had to be around college age, she assumed--wiping his hands off on his apron. He looked up at Vic, stiffened but smiled in that moronically giddy way civilians did around celebrities, then looked at her. She’d seen smiles drop pretty fast throughout her life but, shit, his fell like one hell of a dense brick. She didn’t change her expression. She merely lifted her chin and folded her arms on the curve of the glass, popping one foot off the ground.

“Hey, man!” Vic greeted. “Sorry to pop in so late. It still cool to grab a cup?”

The guy nodded. His eyes hadn’t left Ajaya yet. And she hadn’t looked away from him, either. She winked. He went rigid, visibly flustered, and quickly turned his attention to Vic. _Good boy_.

“Wh--, uh. What’ll it be?”

As Vic bent down to get a better look at his choices, Ajaya let her own eyes wander across the labels. She tried to be a bit more thorough this time. That first glimpse is always stupidly overwhelming, drinking in a sea of possibilities and no one or two things stand out to you. But this time, something did. She straightened, slapped her palms against the glass--causing the guy behind the counter to jump--and let out a loud gasp.

“-- _holy **shit**_ \--they’ve got COTTON CANDY!!!”

She looked at Vic. He stared back at her, and it took her a moment to realize he seemed genuinely surprised. But before she had the chance to question him, he turned to the guy. “We’ll get two’a those. Large cups, please.”

They got a nod, and the guy quickly began to gather two big, white cups, spoons and the scoop for the ice cream. Ajaya grinned, cackling softly under her breath as she skipped around Vic towards the register. She knew the guy was watching her like a hawk; they were never as discrete as they thought they were. She didn’t care.

Before she could fish her wallet out of her shorts pocket, Vic gave her arm a gentle elbow.

“I got it,” he said. Ajaya blinked. Then, she shoved her fists against her hips, stomping one of her platform shoes into the tiles.

“I’ve got cash!”

Vic glanced at her, frowning. “I know, I just--”

“Just **what**?”

“--just wanted to take care of it this time,” Vic finished. She noticed something in his gaze steel. “C’mon, Ajaya. You’re still settlin’ into the area, getting furniture for your place.”

She narrowed her eyes, straightening slowly and folding her arms across her chest. Her chin lifted, and she stared at him through the slits of her gaze. When she said nothing, he sighed.

“... how ‘bout next time _I_ need somethin’--and it costs less or equal to this--you can pay for it?”

It wasn’t lost on her that he didn’t say next time _we_ do something like this or the next time _we_ hang out.

The skittish counter guy was almost done topping off their ice cream cups, and she allowed her stare to dull until it was nothing short of bored and irritated.

“Ugh. **Fine**.” She threw her hands above her shoulders and dropped them to her sides. “Whatever. I’ll be by the car.”

Vic started to protest, but she had already made a beeline to the parlor doors. The bell chimed as she pushed through, but it didn’t provide the same satisfaction as it had before. It almost felt like it was mocking her. One snap of her fingers and its little string would fray, plummeting it to the hard floor where it'd no doubt crack. Who’ll be laughing, then?

She let it be, however, and growled out a sigh as she whirled on her heel to drop against the T-Car’s side. Her arms folded across her chest, but now they were just as much comfort as they were a shield. A slant of her eyes let her peer through the parlor windows. Even from here, with the uneven lighting and city shadows, she could tell that the employee was more than relieved she’d left. He was smiling again--maybe even laughing--as he opened the register and thumbed through the bills Vic had passed to him. Ajaya scowled, fully aware of the tight sensation in her lips as they peeled away from her teeth. She snorted and glared at her shoes.

The bell sang. She kept her eyes on the ground as Vic’s weighted footsteps approached her.

“Hey,” he said. His voice had returned to its previous, gentler state. “I’m… sorry ‘bout that. I know you’ve probably dealt with worse, but. Still.”

Ajaya shifted her gaze, glaring off into the street for a long moment before she shoved away from the car and turned to face him. She accepted the cup he was offering, plucking the spoon free of its icy pink and blue prison. It was a weird off-green color. Not quite yellow, not quite green. Reminded her of every time Gizmo would sneer something about snot. Great. Thanks, she hated it.

She noted that Vic’s spoon was an obnoxiously vibrant orange and raised a brow. “Why the hell do they pick the ugliest colors for their plasticware?” She muttered, wrinkling her nose at his spoon, then at hers. “Who wants to be seen with this?”

Before he had the chance to answer, she leaned forward and speared one of his ice cream scoops with her spoon, tugging his orange utensil out and placing it in her cup. There. It was still fugly as hell, but… at least it didn’t make her think of incompetent, sentient algae.

Satisfied, Ajaya yanked the passenger door open and ducked inside. Vic rounded to the driver’s door and did the same. The engine growled to life, and they were on the road again.

Ajaya spooned a large scoop of the frozen treat into her mouth. It was sweet, with subtle hints of blueberry and strawberry. Predictable flavors, she guessed, but that didn’t make it any less delicious. Had they left the parlor under better circumstances, it might have been enough to get a smile out of her.

Vic took to driving with one hand. Whether it was his cybernetics or the empty midnight roads that made him feel comfortable enough to place half his attention on his own cup of ice cream, she didn’t know. Didn’t really care, either. Still, she caught herself staring at his reflection in the windshield again.

… it was starting to piss her off. This stupid… grip in her stomach, the shiver in her chest. She fought it off with anger. Anger she didn’t have the right to--but she _did_. It was old anger. No longer a bonfire but a circle of still glowing coals. Its danger wasn’t obvious, but that didn’t mean it was gone. She could still feel it… sizzling under the surface of her skin, boiling the pit in her stomach until the rising steam would make it hard to breathe. She wanted to scream at him again. Wanted to turn and throw the ice cream in his stupid face, kick his _stupid_ car’s door open and free-fall it into the grass, roll down the hill and just run the hell away. But at the same time, she didn’t. She just wanted the anger to go away.

Emotions were really… _dumb_.

A faint growl bubbled in her throat, but she silenced it with another spoonful of ice cream. The car jerked slightly, and Ajaya looked up, blinking her eyes widely. Vic had turned off the street. The smooth tar road gave way to gravel, then to raw earth and grass. She reflexively reached up and gripped the handle over the passenger window, securing her ice cream cup in her lap and shooting a glare in Vic’s direction. “What the hell?”

“Sorry,” Vic said. He didn’t glance at her. “I just… --I wanna park. I can’t sit anymore--need some fresh air.”

Ajaya blinked. She nodded, sitting back in the seat but keeping her hand wrapped around the handle.

The T-Car continued its easy plow through the grass. After a minute or so--when they’d reached a decent distance from the road--Vic slowed it to a stop and shoved the gear into park. He was silent as he unbuckled, plucked his ice cream cup out of the holder between them, and pushed out the car door. Ajaya sat and watched him as he rounded to the hood and eased onto it.

She pursed her lips, staring down into the soft pink and blue swirls melting in her cup. They were beginning to form a pale, purple puddle.

Ajaya huffed, grumbling as she shoved her finger against the buckle release and wiggled out from under the strap. She kicked the passenger door open with the amount of force she guessed would get his attention and scowled when it failed, opting to march around to the hood, as well. She fell against the surface, so she half-sat, half-stood, and stirred the slushy remains of her treat. The silence was allowed to hang in the air for a minute or so longer… then, she tore it down.

“You know I’m not good at this,” she said. Vic straightened enough to glance at her, frowning.

“What?”

“ _This_ ,” she repeated, gesturing vaguely at the space between them. “Whatever the hell it is that’s bugging you? Just talk about it. I know you’re acting weird; I’m not an idiot.”

Vic stared at her for a long moment. He sighed, looking away as his brow sank. She could tell he was mulling the offer over, playing through the pros and cons. Honestly, she couldn’t decide if she rather he stay quiet or open up to her. Those parts that had gone molten with anger wanted him to keep his mouth shut and know that her sympathy wasn’t up for grabs. But the rest of her… she was going to kick West in the shin for making her want to be a better person.

"Y'looked so happy when you saw the cotton candy ice cream," he said. "I... --it was so genuine and bright. Hadn't seen you look like that in a long time. Let alone look... at _me_ like that."

She stayed quiet. Her stomach tightened.

“... I’m sorry,” Vic said. His voice had gotten quieter, but not quite to the point it was a murmur or a whisper. Ajaya blinked at him, her nose wrinkling a little as she squinted. A few seconds passed before she let out a snort, leaning back a little further and stirring at her ice cream.

“I told you,” she grumbled, “I’m used to it. And--like all you keep telling me--they’ll get their heads outta their asses eventually--”

“--no.”

The interruption was so abrupt, she stiffened. Ajaya stared at him, but he kept his gaze on the grass.

“I’m sorry about… about the academy,” he continued. When she stayed quiet again, he went on. “I’m sorry for lying to you and leaving you there. Making you feel like crap. ...I should’ve… --I should’ve done better. You didn’t deserve that, even then.”

She stared at him. When she spoke, her voice was taut and level. “We’ve already _talked_ about _this_.”

“I know.”

“So why the _hell_ are you bringing it up again?”

“ **Because** \--” he cut himself off, inhaling slowly through his nose. He held the breath for a long moment before releasing it, frowning and turning his head just enough to meet her gaze. “... because. When we talked about this the first time, I didn’t… didn't say... --the… hypocrisy wasn’t lost on some of us.”

Ajaya blinked, leaning forward just enough to meet his eyes in full. His frown weakened.

“... I’m sure you heard or… saw what happened a couple years back, through the news or somethin'. With Terra.”

She scowled, her brow furrowing. “Oh. I know. A ‘Titan’ infiltrating and betraying the team. _Gee_ that **does** sound familiar.”

Vic looked away. He was silent for a moment. “... it’s more than that. See… --her name was Tara. Her _real_ name. And, uh. Gar… they were close. Real close.” He turned to her, and she could almost feel the weight in his eyes. Both of them. “Kinda like we’d been.”

Ajaya’s eyes widened a little.

“It… --he took it hard,” Vic continued. “Was a real mess for a while. And just as it seemed he was comin’ outta it, well. If you had access to the news, you know.” Another pause. “It didn’t exactly get better after that.”

She shouldn’t ask. She _shouldn’t_. She should bite down on her tongue right now and stay quiet. She didn’t.

“What… --what happened to her?” She asked, tone low and cautious. “She just… _disappeared_. Everything just stopped and went back to normal.”

“She, uh. She… --my best guess is her powers petrified her somehow. She set off a volcanic reaction on accident and stayed behind to stop it. When we went back, she was… a statue. Basically.”

It sounded crazy. But here she was talking to a half-man, half-robot and sharing a living space with a half-demon empath, an alien and a goblin who could shapeshift. Guess it wasn’t all that crazy once put into perspective.

...still.

Vic set his ice cream cup aside, resting his hands on his knees. He eyed the space between them and exhaled through his nose. “... after the academy, I, uh. I talked to Gar about everything. _Everything_. And he listened. He was real quiet for a bit--which was more than enough to tell me he wasn’t thrilled. I figured, at first, that he was irritated that I’d let myself get involved with someone we called an enemy, but. Uh.” He shook his head. “He was irritated, alright. _Pissed_ , actually. But… it was because he couldn’t believe I’d done to you almost exactly what Tara had done to him. That… that I’d hurt someone like that. Put 'em through the same kinda pain I'd watched him experience, and known I'd do it the whole time.”

Ajaya inhaled, swallowing. She almost let the thought touch her. But, instead, she bristled.

“Oh, for crying out--,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes and looking away. “I dropped a ceiling panel on his face, sent him through two stories--at _least_ \--and a **lot** more. You seriously think he--”

“-- **Yeah** ,” he cut in, turning to her. “I _do_. ...you’re welcome to ask him about it if you--”

“-- _Ugh_!” She recoiled, lips peeling away from her teeth. She lashed out with one foot, so the heel of her shoe whacked against his knee. “No way!”

Vic snorted as she scooted away from him, curling up to wrap her arms around her legs. He didn’t tell her to get her shoes off the car.

They sat in silence for a long moment, with nothing but the light breeze trailing between them. Ajaya stared down, watching what little she could see in the dark grass. It swayed, slow, in the wind. She thought she saw a faint glimmer of gold in the blades. Maybe not. She couldn’t focus on it.

Gar acted… awkward around her. A nervous kind of awkward. The best she could think to compare it to was a cat attempting to inspect a reptile--like a snake or a bearded dragon. Alert. Wary. Ready to scramble away at a moment’s notice, spitting and hissing the whole time. She’d always thought it was due to a lack of trust--suspicion--no doubt brought on by past experiences, both with Terra and herself. But if he’d… really been angry about what Vic had put her through even before she threw everything away and started all over, began a new life… maybe there was something else going on in that weird little head of his.

“Hey, look.”

Vic’s voice brought her back to the present. Ajaya looked up, squinting at him before following his gaze to the field in front of them. Small specks of soft golden-yellow light floated above the grass. They faded, blinked and flickered, wiggling blissfully through the air and blades. She had seen gold earlier. Fireflies. It’d been a long time since she’d last seen their glow.

She watched them for a while, letting their fluid movements lure her into a bit of a trance. It was one of those trances where you could almost feel your consciousness leave your physical body; time both stopped and sped up, and all of your senses turned inwards.

How long she’d let herself sink into it, she didn’t know, and she didn’t care. Just that, all at once, she was out of it again. Aware of the cicada buzz in distant trees, the rustle of the grass, the metallic tap of one of Vic’s fingers against his knee. Ajaya sighed, pulling her arms away from her legs and resting her palms on the hood behind her.

“... thanks. ...for telling me,” she said. She hoped her voice sounded less guarded than it felt. “It’s, uh. ...It’s nice to… --it’s good to know that...“

She was going to punch herself in the face.

“... my old…” Shit, she couldn’t exactly call them ‘friends,’ could she? --she _wouldn’t_ , actually. They hadn’t been friends, they’d hardly even been teammates. They were just a group of individuals who happened to work well together but were always looking out for number one. “...--they wouldn’t have said anything.”

Vic stayed quiet. After about a full minute of silence, she seriously began to consider just sliding off the hood of the car, walking wordlessly back to the street and lying down in the middle of it, waiting for the first car to take her out of her misery now that she’d made a fool of herself.

“... you miss 'em at all?” Vic asked.

Ajaya snorted. “ **No**. Good riddance.” And she meant it.

“There, uh. There anything we can do to make life back at the Tower easier? ...Wayne Gardens is real nice and peaceful and all, but our place is different… obviously.”

“Nah.”

“‘Kay. … … is there--”

“--Vic.”

He looked at her. She stared back at him. The sentence, the comfort, was on the tip of her tongue. Pride and the desperation to cling to a grudge for her own protection tried to pull it back, bottle it up and throw it into the sea. But she’d learned since those days. She’d been shown kindness and love and seen what that power could do. It sounded corny as hell, but it was real. She was still unpracticed in embracing it or wielding it. But… she supposed she had to start somewhere. It might as well be here.

“I’m still pissed with you,” she said bluntly. “And it’ll be a while before I don’t want to knuckle sandwich your teeth out every other time we talk or whenever we get too close to whatever that line was at the academy.” Ajaya paused, taking in the way his organic eye darkened just slightly and the shadow that passed over his features. She inhaled, nodded internally. “But… I _do_ forgive you. So… stop… --acting all weird about it. Okay? Because that just pisses me off more--, and I’ll end up punching you for real, and then the basic witch will get all riled up and try to drop me through some hell-portal to nowhere, and Kori will be sad--and **that’s** a crime more than anything I ever did--that’ll be on YOU. The _asshole_ who made _Kori_ sad.”

During her word vomit, Vic’s face had begun to light up. He was smiling, now; an almost boyish blend of amused and grateful. She looked away from him and sat up straight, crossing one knee over the other and folding her arms firmly against her chest as she huffed.

“... thank you, Ajaya,” Vic said after a few seconds. She shrugged, tilting her head towards one shoulder.

“Whatever.” The word felt light. As light and relieved as her chest and shoulders did. She tried not to bask in it or focus on it too much. “Don’t get used to it.”

“Uh huh.”

… … …

“ _WELL_ ,” she said, shoving forward to slide off the T-Car’s hood. She landed on the grass, plucking her ice cream cup up with her. “This was fun and all, but I say it’s time to hit an abandoned road, tear it up and blast some tunes until our ears bleed.”

Vic pushed off the hood and rounded towards the driver’s side. “I hear that.”

“Nicki Minaj.”

“Uh, car rules. Driver picks the tunes, passenger rolls with.”

“--fine by me. Toss me the keys.”

Vic froze, shooting her an incredulous look. “ **What?!** _No_!!”

“Sorry, Tinman,” she cooed, opening the passenger door and draping one arm over the top of it so she could lean in. “Car rules don’t apply to me. I pick the tunes. _Always_. If you wanna stick to your rules? _I drive_.”

Vic stared at her for a long, irritated moment before he let out a defeated sigh and dropped into the driver’s seat. She smirked, eyes glinting as she glided into her own place and delicately shut the door beside her, reaching for the buckle. Vic passed her the audio device before starting the engine and pointing the car towards the road. She scrolled through it, humming.

“You’re awful,” he muttered. She didn’t miss the playful, charmed hint in his tone.

Ajaya flashed him a wicked grin, stopping the list on the loudest, most obnoxious song she could think of. She leaned forward and took the volume knob between pointer finger and thumb, twisting it until the dial lights showed it was at its loudest. With a flick of her hair, she sat back, thumb hovering over the play button. “And _don’t you forget it_.”

They were both going to be deaf for a week.


End file.
